The Santa Maria City Council is considering cuts in order to balance the city’s budget.
Before diving into a finance discussion at Tuesday’s meeting, Mayor Alice Patino addressed the many attendees there to protest a temporary closure of the city’s public pool.
“I see there are a lot of swimmers here tonight,” Patino said to a cheering crowd. “ I would like to make a motion that we look at the budget, but exclude the swimming pool discussion.”
City staff's budget proposal for fiscal years 2026-2028 had included a recommendation to close the Paul Nelson Aquatic Center from December to May. The six-month pool schedule change would have saved the city $350,000.
The city received 120 written public comments on the issue since it was posted to the online agenda.
The closure is now tabled until council members can meet with the Santa Maria Swim Club’s leadership.
With all the other proposed cuts, which includes eliminating currently vacant positions, next fiscal year’s budget deficit will still add up to $8.8 million, according to city documents.
Finance Director Rebecca Campbell told the council that the city would need to dip into its reserves to cover $7.3 million of that gap.
“ I want you to keep in mind that it's vital and best practice to ensure that the city maintains a core reserve of two and a half months, or 16.7% of its operating expenses for cash flow purposes and for emergencies,” Campbell said.
Santa Maria currently has enough in reserves to cover next year’s deficit without dipping below the 16.7% guideline, according to Campbell.
One recommended cut includes a $1.45 million reduction in operational costs, like subscriptions and consulting services. Another would eliminate subsidies to the Santa Maria Museum of Flight.
The city has made strides in reducing its budget deficit — in 2024, the gap added up to more than $20 million.
The proposed budget is still in a draft phase, but the council did vote to raise fees on some city services, bringing in an additional $2 million in revenue.
The final version of the 2026-2028 biennial budget will be presented to the city council on June 16. Under state law, Santa Maria has until the end of the month to adopt a balanced budget.
